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Carluccio's was started by Antonio and Priscilla Carluccio as a small café and shop stocking Italian food and ingredients in 1991, and grew into a restaurant serving authentic cuisine at sensible prices in 1999. Antonio is an expert on food and has been a wine merchant, restaurant manager and owner, cookery expert on television and author of twelve cookery books. It is therefore not surprising, that today Carluccio's has over fourty-nine outlets across the UK.

Antonio believes Italian cookery involves minimum fuss and maximum flavour. This is exactly what his restaurants try to do by using fresh produce, and working largely with families who make things the traditional way - with care. Their passion also translates into special events like hands-on cookery classes and recipe sharing, Antonio and his team regularly organise for interested guests. They also offer takeaways and a catering service.

The breakfast menu offers croissants and breads served with butter and preserves or honey and free range eggs, either scrambled or fried and served with pancetta or ciabatta. They also have long cured Parma ham and healthier options like muesli and fruits. These are best had with coffee, tea or freshly squeezed juice. Carluccio's offers an impressive list of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines which complement your meal.

The restaurants offer a range of soup and salads which give your meal a nutritious start before moving on to the mains. If you like pasta, enjoy the small filled parcels served in a ham and cream sauce, or sample the Neapolitana spaghetti with whole fresh clams, garlic, herbs and chilli. The branzino con salsa e patate, fillet of pan fried sea bass served with tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes and Somerset rib-eye steak with rosemary potatoes, called bistecca di bue con patate, are good options too. If you are looking for something lighter, you could opt for the numerous sides called contorni and panini.

In the Tuscany region of Italy, meals end simply with almond biscuits dipped in a sweet local wine, Vin Santo and eaten. You can enjoy that experience at Carluccio's, or settle for a more conventional dolci of tiramisu, warm chocolate and kahlua pudding, your choice of Italian cheeses or gelatos in different flavours.

After less than six months of opening at 20 Old Brompton Road, the Scandinavian restaurant, Madsen was awarded its first AA rosette. At a time when new fashions in eating are well up the agenda, a restaurant which focuses on the Nordic diet definitely attracts attention. Some will know that the diet is inspired by the Scandinavian tradition of using wholesome, raw and unprocessed ingredients to produce the finished dish.

A smushi, the smaller version of smørrebrød or Danish open sandwiches, at lunchtime or the freshly baked rye bread topped with Greenland shrimp, pickled herring with dill mayonnaise and smoked salmon are seen as an attractive choice, closely followed by gourmet meatballs with bacon and thyme. Even the names are attractive with kalve sylte, old-fashioned veal brawn, and pytt-i-panna, pan-fried cubes of potato, mixed meat and onions topped with fried egg, served with house pickled beetroot.

A very credible wine list is admirably suited to the menus, with sparkling varietals available by the 125ml glass.

The advent of a new breed of steakhouses has caught the attention of those seeking a full-on bovine treat, but the rest are not disappointed either, thanks to places like Kings Road Steakhouse and Grill that effortlessly cater to the needs of both meat and seafood lovers. Here it's more than just that, the interior catches the eye with a touch of elegance, a far cry from the rustic traits that usually characterise a steakhouse.

The à la carte might deliver half a dozen rock oysters, cod tempura with chilli jam and slow roasted pork belly with watercress, red onion and lavender honey glaze. Then move on to meatier pursuits with an 8oz fillet, a 16oz T-bone or a 24oz rib eye on the bone, all made from fine quality Scottish beef; the addition of grilled and roast meats such as supreme of chicken Kiev and calves liver and dry cured bacon could stretch your choice even further. Desserts feature the much loved sticky toffee pudding and crème brûlée.

Mybar at myhotel in Chelsea is a lively, energetic meeting place that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; their bar specialises in superb cocktails as well as a variety of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It is a hub of activity in the evening as well, when you can chat under the cosy candle light and listen to some great music.

It is also close to the famous Sloane Street, the focal point for many upmarket boutiques and designer labels. Take a stroll along while you pocket some top brands and then rest your tired legs at mybar Chelsea as the aromas from the bar will whet your appetite.

Dishes include salmon carpaccio; grilled chicken breast and crayfish club sandwich. As the day advances, mybar transforms from a quiet breakfast venue into a livelier mode at lunchtime and then back again to a relaxing afternoon mood when they serve homemade sweets and herbal teas.

Most Italian chains claim to take their food seriously and provide an authentic dining experience, but Made in Italy group takes in a bit further and is rigorously nostalgic about the Italian way of life. With a sprinkling of restaurants across London, each taking on a unique personality, but what unites them is a pizzametro or a metre long pizza that brings several heads together, characterising conviviality.

Situated on Hollywood Road, just off Fulham Road, Santa Lucia draws in an enthusiastic clientele who love to linger over good food and wine in a warm, inviting atmosphere. In a setting such as this, sharing a plate with friends seems like a good idea so first to arrive could be antipasto misto of Parma ham, salami Milano, roasted ham, buffalo mozzarella, rocket, grilled Mediterranean vegetables, bruschetta and marinated olives. Minutes later you could choose from a selection of pasta, pizza, grills or salads and finish with a caffe alla cioccolata Bianca served with white chocolate and topped with whipped cream.

The Brompton Road location is an historic restaurant site that has moved with the times over the last 60 years. With several variations to the name post World War II, Brompton was formerly one of those great Cypriot-Greek restaurants of the era, with booths for the discreet rendezvous of famous politicians and their mistresses and spectacular flambé dishes off a trolley. Now it embraces the concept of what the current market desires in ambiance, style and value.

The menu from star chef Gary Durrant features starters of the signature Brompton fish stew to grilled meat and fish, burgers, rib-eye and veal T-bone. A huge zinc topped bar dispenses a range of Brompton cocktails and a value list of excellent drinking wines. There is an eclectic collection of cartoon and modern art and the downstairs bar area is a favourite lunchtime haunt and a frequent evening venue for live music and song.

The Saatchi Gallery deserves plaudits for showcasing works of art by largely unseen young artists or international artists who've never had the opportunity to present their work in the UK. Inside its vast, white-walled interior there is enough artwork to contemplate for hours on end, and if you finally decide to seek a slight departure from the gallery culture could find yourself heading towards the Gallery Mess.

Good homely cooking at breakfast time takes in croissant with jam and butter, Greek yogurt with rhubarb, crisp dry cured bacon and of course the great British breakfast. At lunch or dinnertime, kick things off with a gazpacho soup, prawn cocktail or crayfish with pearl barley, broad beans and mustard, followed by Cumberland sausages with slow cooked puy lentils, or char-grilled chicken breast with Dijonnaise, chips and watercress salad. Desserts might feature a rhubarb and strawberry cruble and milk chocolate popcorn sundae.

The Restaurant is on the first floor with a terrace overlooking the beer garden. Modern Scandinavian influenced Northern French food, produced by well known chef Christian Sandevelt, the menu is served in a delightful room with an open fire place. The Pub is on the ground floor with a lounge and beer garden.

Dishes on offer might include starters such as gravad lax with mustard sauce and lemon or blinis with salmon caviar, red onion and soured cream with mains like roast wild Swedish salmon with artichoke barigoule or pot roasted chicken with baby onion and tarragon.

Elistano, located at the intersection of Elystan Street and Petyward Street in an area known as Chelsea Green, is a friendly neighbourhood Italian restaurant that is popular with locals and visitors. The bill of fare offers Italian cuisine and European wines and one wine highlighted as wine of the month, in an informal and relaxed atmosphere, offering guests an authentic Mediterranean experience.

For starters order calamari fritti, thinly sliced raw beef, served with rocket and parmesan shavings, and mussels in tomato, garlic and chilli with insalata tricolore, tomato, bufala mozzarella and avocado. Main course can consist of linguine alle vongole, with veraci clams, garlic, chilli, and olive oil, and veal or chicken in breadcrumbs, served with tomato spaghetti or vegetables. The dessert section on the menu features homemade tiramisu, caramelized pineapple with lemon crush sorbet, and French berries with zabaglione.